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Annual Energy Review

September 2012  PDF | previous editions
Release Date: September 27, 2012

Table 4.3 Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and Natural Gas Liquids Proved Reserves, 1949-2010
Table 4.3  Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and Natural Gas Liquids Proved Reserves, 1949-2010


Year		 Crude Oil 1 Natural Gas (Dry) Natural Gas Liquids 1 Total
Billion Barrels Trillion Cubic Feet 2 Billion Barrels COE 3 Billion Barrels Billion Barrels COE 3  Billion Barrels COE 3
  American Petroleum Institute and American Gas Association Data
1949 24.6 179.4 32.0 3.7 3.1 59.7
1950 25.3 184.6 32.9 4.3 3.5 61.7
1951 27.5 192.8 34.4 4.7 3.9 65.7
1952 28.0 198.6 35.4 5.0 4.1 67.5
1953 28.9 210.3 37.5 5.4 4.4 70.9
1954 29.6 210.6 37.6 5.2 4.2 71.3
1955 30.0 222.5 39.7 5.4 4.4 74.1
1956 30.4 236.5 42.2 5.9 4.7 77.3
1957 30.3 245.2 43.8 5.7 4.5 78.6
1958 30.5 252.8 45.1 6.2 5.0 80.6
1959 31.7 261.2 46.6 6.5 5.2 83.5
1960 31.6 262.3 46.8 6.8 5.4 83.8
1961 31.8 266.3 47.5 7.0 5.6 84.8
1962 31.4 272.3 48.6 7.3 5.8 85.7
1963 31.0 276.2 49.1 7.7 6.0 86.1
1964 31.0 281.3 50.0 7.7 6.1 87.1
1965 31.4 286.5 51.0 8.0 6.3 88.6
1966 31.5 289.3 51.5 8.3 6.5 89.5
1967 31.4 292.9 52.1 8.6 6.7 90.2
1968 30.7 287.3 51.1 8.6 6.7 88.5
1969 29.6 275.1 48.9 8.1 6.3 84.8
1970 39.0 290.7 51.7 7.7 5.9 96.6
1971 38.1 278.8 49.6 7.3 5.5 93.2
1972 36.3 266.1 47.1 6.8 5.1 88.5
1973 35.3 250.0 44.0 6.5 4.8 84.1
1974 34.2 237.1 41.9 6.4 4.7 80.8
1975 32.7 228.2 40.2 6.3 4.6 77.5
1976 30.9 216.0 38.0 6.4 4.7 73.6
1977 29.5 208.9 36.8 6.0 4.4 70.6
1978 27.8 200.3 35.2 5.9 4.3 67.3
1979 27.1 194.9 34.3 5.7 4.1 65.5
  U.S. Energy Information Administration Data
1977 31.8 207.4 36.5 NA NA NA
1978 31.4 208.0 36.5 6.8 5.0 73.0
1979 29.8 201.0 35.4 6.6 4.9 70.1
1980 29.8 199.0 35.2 6.7 5.0 70.0
1981 29.4 201.7 35.7 7.1 5.2 70.4
1982 27.9 201.5 35.7 7.2 5.3 68.8
1983 27.7 200.2 35.6 7.9 5.7 69.0
1984 28.4 197.5 35.1 7.6 5.5 69.0
1985 28.4 193.4 34.4 7.9 5.6 68.5
1986 26.9 191.6 34.0 8.2 5.8 66.7
1987 27.3 187.2 33.3 8.1 5.8 66.3
1988 26.8 168.0 29.8 8.2 5.8 62.4
1989 26.5 167.1 29.7 7.8 5.5 61.7
1990 26.3 169.3 30.0 7.6 5.4 61.7
1991 24.7 167.1 29.7 7.5 5.3 59.6
1992 23.7 165.0 29.3 7.5 5.2 58.3
1993 23.0 162.4 28.8 7.2 5.1 56.8
1994 22.5 163.8 29.0 7.2 5.0 56.5
1995 22.4 165.1 29.2 7.4 5.2 56.8
1996 22.0 166.5 29.4 7.8 5.5 56.9
1997 22.5 167.2 29.6 8.0 5.6 57.7
1998 21.0 164.0 29.2 7.5 5.3 55.5
1999 21.8 167.4 29.6 7.9 5.5 56.9
2000 22.0 177.4 31.4 8.3 5.8 59.2
2001 22.4 183.5 32.5 8.0 5.6 60.5
2002 22.7 186.9 R 33.0 8.0 5.6 R 61.2
2003 21.9 189.0 33.5 7.5 5.2 60.6
2004 21.4 192.5 34.1 7.9 5.5 60.9
2005 21.8 204.4 36.2 8.2 5.6 63.6
2006 21.0 211.1 37.4 8.5 5.8 64.2
2007 21.3 237.7 R 42.1 9.1 6.3 R 69.7
2008 19.1 244.7 43.3 9.3 6.4 68.8
2009 20.7 272.5 48.2 10.2 7.0 75.8
2010 23.3 304.6 53.7 11.7 8.0 85.0
1To the extent that lease condensate is measured or estimated it is included in "Natural Gas Liquids";
otherwise, lease condensate is included in "Crude Oil."		 Notes:  ·  Data are at end of year.  ·  See "Proved Reserves, Crude Oil," "Proved Reserves, Natural
Gas," and "Proved Reserves, Natural Gas Liquids" in Glossary.
2The American Gas Association estimates of natural gas proved reserves include volumes of natural
gas held in underground storage.  In 1979, this volume amounted to 4.9 trillion cubic feet.  U.S. Energy
Information Administration (EIA) data do not include natural gas in underground storage.		 Web Page:  For related information, see http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/.
3Natural gas is converted to crude oil equivalent (COE) by multiplying by the natural gas dry production
approximate heat content (see Table A4) and then dividing by the crude oil production approximate heat
content (see Table A2).  The lease condensate portion of natural gas liquids is converted to COE by
multiplying by the lease condensate production approximate heat content (5.5 million Btu per barrel) and
then dividing by the crude oil production approximate heat content.  Other natural gas liquids are converted
to COE by multiplying by the natural gas plant liquids production approximate heat content (see Table A2)
and then dividing by the crude oil production approximate heat content.		 Sources:  American Petroleum Institute and American Gas Association Data:  American Petroleum
Institute, American Gas Association, and Canadian Petroleum Association (published jointly), Reserves of
Crude Oil, Natural Gas Liquids and Natural Gas in the United States and Canada as of December 31,
1979, Volume 34 (June 1980).  U.S. Energy Information Administration Data:  ·  1977-2008—EIA, U.S.
Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and Natural Gas Liquids Reserves, annual reports.  ·  2009 and 2010—EIA,
Summary: U.S. Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and Natural Gas Liquids Reserves 2010 (August 2012), Tables 7
and 17.
R=Revised.  NA=Not available.    
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)